Time automatic shut-off for gas ranges and the like



Jan. 12, 1937. H ow 2,067,266

TIME AUTOMATIC SHUT-OFF FOR GAS RANGES AND THE LIKE Filed April 2, 19552 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY Jan. 12, 1937. H'. XGIKOW 2,067,266

TIME AUTOMATIC SHUT-OFF FOR GAS RANGES AND THE LIKE Filed April 2, 19352 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 12, 1937 UNITED STATES FATENTOFFICE TIME AUTOMATIC SHUT-OFF FOR GAS RANGES AND THE LIKE 6 Claims.

The object of the present invention is to provide means for individuallycontrolling the valves of gas ranges and the like in such manner that aplurality of burners may be shut off at relatively 5 diiierent times inaccordance with individual setting of the valve mechanism.

A further object is to provide unitary operating means for all of theburner valves in conjunction vvith selective means for timing control ofthe individual burners so that when a plurality of burners are inoperation they may be automatically shut ofi at difierent timeintervals.

A further object of the invention is to provide valve operating meansdriven from a single clock mechanism. which may be continuously operatedwithout affecting the valve throwing elements per se unless the timingcontrol for any valve is set for operation at a predetermined timeinterval.

A further object of the invention is to provide mechanism of the type inwhich the valves may be opened and closed in the usual mannerindependently of the automatic control.

Further objects of the invention will hereinafter appear.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which:-

Fig. l is a perspective view of a gas range equipped with the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view in elevation of the control panel of therange showing elements of the invention, certain parts being shown indotted lines.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional plan view of two of the valves andassociated controls, the section being taken generally on the line 3-3,Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation, partly in section, the section being takengenerally on the line 44, Fig. 3, the control parts being in positionfor time control of the burner.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, showing the position of the partsimmediately preceding closing of the burner.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary elevation, partly in section, showing the frontface of a control ratchet to the worm shaft, and the timing wheelappropriate to the said control ratchet.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings, I have shown a conventional type of rangehaving burners l, 2, 3 and 4, oven and broiler doors being shownrespectively at 5 and 6 and warming compartment at 1. At 8 I have showna control panel and at 30 a clock.

On control panel 8 I have shown the usual thumb wheels la, 20:, 3a: and4:1: for the burners. There will be, in the'commercial construction, a

similar control valve or valves for the oven 5 and broiler 6, althoughfor simplicity of illustration, they have not been shown in thedrawings.

Adjacent each valve thumb wheel is a timing dial-wheel, the periphery ofwhich will bear num- 5 bers corresponding to minutes, the dial-wheelsbeing indicated at I0, and each wheel being rotatable to bring thenumbers opposite a pointer II, Fig. 2, on the panel. The operation ofthe device is such that each of the burner valves is individuallycontrolled, as will now be explained.

Referring to Figs. 3 to 6 inclusive, it will be noted that each burnerreceives gas from pipe I2 leading to valve casing l3, the valve casingsbeing fed by means of pipe I4, Fig. 4. Within the valve casing will be avalve-head (not shown) adapted to open and close communication betweenpipes l2 and M. The valve head will be operated in each case by a shaftl5 having a squared end. A control ratchet 16 having a sleeve-like hubIBa: with a squared interior formation will surround shaft I5. To theouter end of the ratchet wheel hub will be fixed the appropriate valvethumb wheel. Thus, when the thumb wheel is rotated, a correspondingrotation will be imparted to valve shaft l5 to open the valve. Thisopening movement of the valve shaft IE will be against the tension of aspiral spring ":11, one end of the spring being fixed to the valvecasing I3 and the opposite end to the shaft as by 30 being passed into ahole formed in the shaft transversely thereof. The spring Will havesufiicient tension to insure the closing of the valve when the thumbwheel is released.

To open any one of the series of gas valves in the ordinary manner, itis only necessary to turn the appropriate thumb wheel to the left. Toclose the valve, it is only necessary to move the thumb wheel outwardlyuntil the teeth of the ratchet 16 are carried beyond a holding pawl ll,spring Ila: returning the shaft and valve head to closed position. Eachof the pawls I1 is pivotally mounted upon its appropriate valve casingin the manner illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, that is to say, by means ofa pivot stud l8, 2. light spring l9 holding the pawl forwardly in suchposition that the lower end thereof engages a stop pin, indicated at 20.The stop pin holds the pawl in position as the ratchet wheel isretracted therefrom by moving the thumb wheel outwardly in order toclose the valve.

Throughout the above described operation of the burners in the usualmanner, the automatic control mechanism will be unaifected and each 55dial-wheel will indicate opposite the point a neutral position, as, forexample, by the cipher 0.

When it is desired, in the case of any burner, to secure automaticclosing thereof in a given number of minutes or parts of minutes, theadjacent dial-wheel is rotated to bring the appropriate number on theface thereof opposite the pointer.

The inactive position of the dial-wheel in. any case is shown at theright hand end of Fig. 3, and it will be noted that the wheel is mountedupon a light shaft 2! supported by suitable bearing members on panelmember 8, as, for example, the bearing brackets 22, the shaft havingsecured thereto friction clutch disks 23, one for each of thedial-wheels Ill. The hub Him of each dialwheel is formed as a clutchmember to co-act withone of the clutch disks 23 under the pressure of alight spring 24.

When the dial-wheel is turned to expose a numeral indicating a timinginterval, as, for example 5, meaning five minutes, the wheel will beturned from its position shown at the right hand side of Fig. 3 and astop finger lllxa: will be carried away from the shoulder of a fixedstop shaft 25 projecting from valve casing l3, and spring 24 will movethe dial-wheel to the left clutching it to the appropriate clutch member23. The dial-wheel will now be positively rotated due to the fact thatlight shaft 2| has fixed thereto a worm wheel 26 in mesh with a worm 21on a light shaft 28 (Fig. 2) having pinioned connection with a drivegear 29 of clock 39. Clock 30 may be driven by a spring or its mechanismmay be electrically driven, as desired. Generally, the clock 33 will bean ordinary electric clock having a driven shaft connected in suitablemanner to rotate shaft 28 and hence shaft 2| continuously. The structureis such that these shafts have very little load and hence they may bedriven continuously with insignificant current consumption when theclock-magnets, motor, or other driving means are in operation.

The setting of the dial-wheel by the required rotation thereof asaforesaid, will not only cause a lateral movement of the dial-wheel dueto the action of spring 24, but will cause finger lllaxr to move in linewith a pawl release pin 3| carried by pawl H, the parts assuming theposition shown at the left hand side of Fig. 3. The distance: be-

tween finger Warm and pawl release pin 3| will be proportionate to thedegree of timing, a greater distance indicating a greater length oftime. The shaft 2! will be rotated in the direction of the arrow, Fig.3, the rotation being very slow due to the ratio between the teeth ofworm 2! and worm wheel 28. At the end of the time for which the wheel isset, finger man: will strike the pawl release pin and will disengage thepawl from the teeth of ratchet wheel l6, whereupon spring Ila: willrotate the valve shaft and close the valve.

The action of spring i'lzc in rotating its appropriate valve shaft [5 toclosed position will throw the appropriate dial-wheel back to declutchposition. This follows because each ratchet wheel I6 carries a cam plate32 which, when the valve is closed, lies in the position of Fig. 6 andthe edge of the cam bears upon a lug or. carried by the dial-wheel. Inexplanation of this action, reference may be made to Fig. 6. It will benoted that the manual opening of the valve by the thumb wheel will causerotation of ratchet It in the direction of the arrow, carrying cam 32upwardly and permitting spring 24 to move the dial-wheel ill toclutching relation with shaft 2!,

provided, of course, dial-wheel ID has been moved into active timingrelation, thereby moving finger 19mm away from shouldered shaft 25 (Fig.3).

In the rotational movement of ratchet wheel 16 to open position, itsteeth will move idly with respect to pawl ll. When the valve has beenopened to the desired extent, it will be held in such position by theaction of pawl ll. In such position, cam 32 will be up out ofinterference with the dial-wheel and the latter may be rotated to thedesired position irrespective thereof. The lateral movement of thedial-wheel into clutching position will be merely a small fraction of aninch and thus itsrelease movement by the action of the cam will becorrespondingly short.

It will be noted that in the releasing action, the entire power throw isby spring Hm. There is a very minor load upon shaft 2| inasmuch as theonly action required by that shaft is to depress pawl ll against thevery light tension of spring I9.

It will be understood that various modifications may be made in the formand arrangement of the embodiment illustrated in the drawings withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention. What I claim and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, being as follows:

1. Automatic gas shut-ofi mechanism for operating a gas valve embodyinga valve shaft, comprising a manual turning member on said shaft, acontrol ratchet carried by said turning member, latching means engagingsaid ratchet,aspring adapted to hold the shaft in valve closed position,the turning member being movable on said valve shaft longitudinallythereof to release the control ratchet from said latching means, atiming dial wheel carrying a release finger adapted to engage andrelease said latching means, a shaft upon which the timing dial wheel ismounted, means for rotating the shaft, and means for clutching the dialwheel to the shaft and for permitting rotation of the wheel relativelyto the shaft.

2. Automatic gas shut-off mechanism for operating a gas valve embodyinga valve shaft, comprising a manual turning member on said shaft, 2.control ratchet carried by said turning member, a fixed support,latching means on said support engaging said ratchet, a spring adaptedto hold the shaft in valve closed position, the turning member beingmovable on said valve shaft longitudinally thereof to release thecontrol ratchet from said latching means, a timing dial wheel carrying arelease finger adapted to engage and release said latching means, ashaft upon which the timing dial wheel is mounted, means for rotatingthe shaft, means for clutching the dial wheel to the shaft and forpermitting rotation of the wheel relatively to the shaft, and meansthrown into action by the release of said latching means for declutchingthe dial wheel from the shaft.

3. Automatic gas shut-off mechanism for a gas valve' embodying a valveshaft, comprising a manual turning member for said shaft, aratchet wheelcarried by said turning member, a pawl structed in accordance with claim1, in combination with a cam member carried by the valve shaft turningmember, said cam being adapted to throw the clutch to open position uponrelease of the latching mechanism by the dial wheel.

5. Automatic gas shut-off mechanism for operating a plurality of gasvalves, each embodying a valve shaft, comprising a manual turning memberfor each valve shaft, a spring tending to hold the shaft in valve closedposition, a ratchet member connected to the shaft and a pawl thereforadapted to hold the shaft in adjusted position in opposition to saidspring, a member movably supporting the pawl, a timing dial wheel foreach of said pawl members and carrying pawl release means, a shaft uponwhich all the timing dial wheels are mounted, means for rotating theshaft, and shaft clutches, one intermediate each dial wheel and theshaft, in combination with clutching release means for each clutchadapted to be thrown into action by the release of the respective pawlthrough the spring rotation of the corresponding valve shaft to closedposition.

6. Automatic gas shut-off mechanism constructed in accordance with claim5, in combination with spring throw-in means for each clutch, andlatching means holding said spring means in inactive position undertension preliminary to a rotational movement of its appropriate dialwheel in the setting thereof preliminary to timing action of the dialwheel.

HARRY GIKOW.

